ABOUT THE BOOK: Tolstoy created this story in reference to the Caucasus Mountains during the midnineteenth century in Russia. During this time period, an imperial conquest ensued between the Chechen and the Russian military. The Russian military had expectations to expand upon their empire. In this book he described the experiences of the Caucasian and Russian struggle that both he and Hadji Murad were caught up in. Hadji Murad a successful and famed separatist guerrilla who falls out with his own commander and eventually sides with the Russians in hope of saving his family. Hadji Murad’s family is being contained and controlled by the Chechen leader who abducted his mother, two wives and five children. The story opens with Murad and two of his followers fleeing from Shamil and find refuge at the house of Sado, a loyal supporter of Murad. The local people learn of his presence and chase him out of the village.